This Is The Choice
by The Straight Lesbian
Summary: Just a short oneshot. Alternate ending to Phantom of the Opera-Christine realizes her love and chooses the Phantom. Better than it sounds.


**Disclaimer: Don't own it, but I would dearly love to own the Phantom…. sigh…**

Christine took in the scene before her. Raoul, her childhood sweetheart and secret fiancé, was tied up against a rusty metal portcullis, a noose around his neck.

The Phantom, her angel of music and captor, was holding the end of the rope binding Raoul. His distorted face was twisted in anger and his beautiful eyes burned holes in Christine's soul.

This was her choice. Should she choose to leave and escape, Raoul would die. Should she choose to stay with the Phantom for the rest of her days, Raoul would be set free.

So, in reality, she didn't really have a choice. She just wasn't able to have the blood of another on her hands. Walking slowly forward, she sang,

"Pitiful creature of darkness, what kind of life have you known?" the Phantom stood unsurely, not really believing that his sole dream was coming true. He was transfixed to the vision of beauty walking towards him, her voice of a thousand men's dreams reverberating throughout his dungeon. "God give me courage to show you, you are not alone!"

Slipping on the ring he had given her, she kissed him. As soon as their lips touched, she forgot everything except _him_: his soft lips, his gentle hands caressing her sides, touching her as if he were a man dying of hunger and she was food sent from heaven, kissing her as if he were a man dying of thirst and she was one last drop of water…

They broke apart and stared at each other. _I love him_, she thought suddenly. He stared at her in wonder, a disbelieving, and emotional smile breaking across his face. And then they were kissing again, lips meeting passionately, tongues locked in a fiery battle of desperation and need. She held her hand against his face, harboring no disgust for the distortion.

Eventually, but all too soon, they broke apart again. They smiled at each other radiantly, love shining out of their eyes. Then Phantom closed his eyes briefly, face twisting in grief. He looked away from Christine, all previous happiness now washed from his face. His breath was hitching and Christine looked up at him in worry and concern. _Why are you crying, what's wrong my angel?…_

As the Phantom struggled to control his mysterious sorrow, the three heard noises coming from back along the tunnels. The mob was coming.

Distantly they heard them crying, "_Track down this murderer, he must be found!_"

Then suddenly, the Phantom pushed past Christine, tears streaming down his face.

"Take him, forget me, forget all of this! Leave me alone!" he stumbled up the steps out of the water, hunched over in grief as Christine realized what he was saying and rushed over to untie Raoul.

"Forget all you've seen! Go now, don't let them find you!" Christine took off the noose around Raoul's neck and he gasped for air, filling his deprived lungs.

"Take the boat, swear to me never to tell, the secret you know of the angel in hell!" the Phantom reached the top of the stairs, ignoring his love releasing her future husband. As Raoul was finally let free and embraced Christine fiercely, the Phantom looked at them in despair and cried, "Go now!! Go now and leave me!!" and turned away to stumble into the recesses of his lair.

The Phantom sat before his music box, staring at it in complete defeat, tears still streaming down his face. He had let her go…he had to. He wasn't able to keep her when he knew she'd be unhappy. He loved her too much.

In a hushed, choked voice, he began to sing along with the tinkling music.

"_Masquerade…paper faces on parade…masquerade…hide your face so the world will never find you…_" Sensing another presence near him, he looked up and found Christine standing there, face full of mixed emotions, but mainly love and pity.

With utterly nothing to lose, he sang softly, voice breaking twice," _Christine, I love…you…_"

She gazed at him a second longer then slowly walked over, hands clasping each other nervously. As she reached him, he looked up at her, unable to draw his eyes away from the immense beauty of her face.

Hesitantly, she reached out and cupped his scarred cheek in her hand. He leaned into her warm touch, eyes closing lightly. Hearing a rustling noise, he opened his eyes and saw her kneel down in front of him. He held the hand still on his cheek in his own, and stroked her cheek with his other hand.

She began to sing softly,"_ Anywhere you go, let me go too…that's all I ask of you._" He stared at her again, in disbelief. Had she really come back? Truly, she loved him?

She had made her choice. While she had loved Raoul, she loved the Phantom more. Raoul would find another, he was young and handsome and rich. Their love had been material, built upon the expectations of stereotypical romance.

But her feelings for the Phantom ran deeper and truer than anything else in the world. And it had taken only a kiss to understand that.

In a perfect harmony that would last forever, they sang, "_You alone can make my song take flight…it's just begun, the music of the night!_"

**A/N: Now, doesn't that work so much better?**

**Review my darlings!!!**


End file.
